Best Referral Apps for Shopify

Best Referral Apps for Shopify

Even now, word of mouth has a significant influence on the purchasing decisions of potential buyers. This is due to the fact that individuals prefer referrals to other forms of advertising or marketing. Offering incentives to consumers who recommend new customers to your Shopify store can be an excellent technique for your store to obtain more loyal customers and increase sales.

Customers can refer new customers (often friends and acquaintances) to your store by offering special promotions such as free gifts or coupons when they make purchases. New customers can also be paid for referring more customers, and so on.

Shopify referral apps allow store owners to conduct referral programmes to reach a new and bigger audience. People always trust entities that have been endorsed by others, therefore using the top shopify apps can help with word-of-mouth marketing.

Top Shopify Referral Apps 

1) Smile
2) Referral Candy
3) Refersion 
4) Rise
5) Loyaltylion
6) Growave
7) Yotpo
8) Secomapp
9) Conjured Referrals
10) Bamboo

Detailed Review Of Shopify Referral Apps 

1) Smile

Smile.io is one of the most popular referral apps in the Shopify App Store, and with good reason. You may tailor how you encourage existing customers to refer their friends and family to your Shopify store, and you can also create loyalty programmes using the app. 

Encourage your loyal customers to assist you out by awarding them with unique points, discounts, free delivery, or a free gift for each successful referral. This activity aids in the development of customer involvement and encourages them to participate in future promotions and activities at your store.

Offer discounts, free shipping, or free products to entice prospective customers to make a purchase. If they have a positive buying experience on your site, these new clients may become committed brand supporters.

Key Features 

• Create simple loyalty and referral programmes.
• With extra points and point expiration, you can create a sense of urgency.
• Customers can use their points to get gifts and discounts.
• Allows you to send a personalized referral link to customers.
• Use pop-ups and referral emails to increase involvement.
• With its in-app analytics, you can track referral traffic and sales.

Pros 

• There is no need for coding.
• Friendly to small businesses

Cons 

•  This app doesn't work for customers without an email.
• There are several bugs and glitches in this app. 

2) Referral Candy 

Referral Candy is a strong app that may help you increase sales and establish social proof. This programme is completely focused on referrals, and it allows retailers to customise pop-ups and emails to keep their branding consistent and appealing. Referral Candy automates rewards and sends them straight to clients. You can give cash, gift cards, or coupon codes as incentives.

Key Features 

• With its theme editor, you may modify everything about your emails and popups.
• Allows you to have complete control over referral rewards and incentives.
• Customers are automatically rewarded, so you don't have to worry about keeping track of loyalty points.
• Allows you to measure and monitor referral sales, clicks, and traffic.

Pros 

• This app gives you a 30 days free trial. 
• It also integrates with MailChimp and Klaviyo. 

Cons 

• Customer support is very bad according to the reviews. 
• This app makes it virtually impossible to delete or downgrade the app.

3) Refersion 

With Refersion, you may enter the world of affiliate and influencer marketing. It's a platform that makes converting customers into affiliates and forming relationships a breeze. Customers, bloggers, influencers, and ambassadors are all examples of affiliates.

Refersion's technology makes it simple to track and pay affiliates, making it very user-friendly. You can also use the software to create an affiliate registration page that you can personalise with branding components.

Key Features 

• Registration page for affiliate marketing that can be customized. 
• Affiliates have their own dashboards where they may track their progress, create custom connections, and generate reports.
• Customers will be rewarded if they use the Post Purchase widget. 

Pros 

• You may trace referral links with this tool.
• Make promo codes with affiliates and quickly integrate them into Shopify.

Cons 

• No response to the emails sent for 1 to 2 days. 
• Bad customer service. 

4) Rise

Rise.ai's loyalty programme uses gift cards and cash rewards to attract new clients to your store. This software allows your clients to send customised digital gift cards to their friends and family via a pop-up that allows them to personalise the look of the card, add messages and photographs, schedule the gift card to be sent on special occasions, and print or link the gift card.

This one-of-a-kind app gives customers and recipients a more personalized experience. When customers send a gift card, the recipient gets an email with a link to a page where new potential customers can see a card being opened. It's an excellent app to have on hand for well-known occasions like Valentine's Day, Christmas, Father's Day, and Mother's Day.

Key Features 

• Here with a Gift Card and Store Credit programme for your Shopify store, you can create a terrific customer experience.
• Allows your current customers to design and send branded digital gift cards or vouchers via email or instant messaging.
• Customers who suggest a friend can benefit from affiliate and referral programmes.
• Allows you to send out bulk gift cards and coupons in preparation for future campaigns.
• With its rapid delivery feature, it gives your customers a last-minute purchase choice.

Pros 

• Here you and your customers can customize it.
• Allows you to create gift cards as a way to thank loyal customers or to issue refunds.

Cons 

• The unsubscribe option is not available, allowing customers to opt out of email notifications from the app.
• Again the customer service is very poor.

5) Loyaltylion 

With Loyalty Lion, you can turn existing customers into brand loyalists. It's a loyalty and referral app that may help you expand your business by boosting your marketing efforts and providing you with insights and powerful capabilities through its platform. Skinnydip, Swell Bottles, and Vitabiotics are among the companies that employ it. 

The software allows you to set up a referral programme to reward clients for doing things like submitting reviews and introducing friends to your business. Existing consumers are encouraged to take these steps thanks to the loyalty programme.

Key Features 

• Allows you to gain new clients by using the built-in refer-a-friend feature.
• Customers that post reviews are rewarded with points.
• Allows you to reward Facebook likes, Twitter followers, and Instagram followers in order to expand your social following.
• Provides you with customer data and insights.

Pros 

• Has a platform that you may customize to match your brand. 
• For small businesses, there is a free plan.

Cons 

• The support team is irresponsible according to the reviews. 
• This app doesn't allow you to have a link inside the menu.

6) Growave

Growave is the app for you if you're seeking for an all-in-one rewards and loyalty programme. Product reviews, wish lists, loyalty programmes, referrals, social login, and user-generated content (UGC) are just a few of the marketing options available in the app to help you build your business.

Growave allows you to reward your community members for sharing on social media, sending emails, and referring friends, and you can choose from a variety of incentive alternatives.

Key Features 

• Has a dedicated, easy-to-use referral page
• Allows you to award points and discounts to loyal and potential customers for sharing your store and following your social media accounts.
• Nudges and point expiration reminders increase engagement.
• Allows you to create a shoppable gallery from your Instagram feed and user-generated content.

Pros 

• User reviews might assist you in increasing conversion rates.
• With its loyalty and incentives programme, you can enhance client relationships and encourage repeat purchases.

Cons 

• It is impossible to set up everything perfectly without encountering difficulties
• Terrible customer service and technical support.

7) Yotpo

Yotpo, formerly known as Swell, is a well-known software that allows businesses to create unique, on-brand programmes to incentivise repeat purchases, recommendations, social participation, and content production in order to maximise word-of-mouth referrals.

By allowing you to target and reward the proper customers, the app can drive repeat purchases and create meaningful engagement with the business. Its campaign is adaptable and customised, allowing you to maintain consistent branding. Their referral marketing programme is an excellent way to turn client loyalty into a low-cost cash generator.

Key Features 

• Allows you to keep on brand by allowing you to change typefaces, programme placement, descriptions, graphics, and more.
• Has a reward structure that is adaptable (you may choose from multiple options for rewarding referrals, including points, products, store credit, and discounts)
• Additional prizes for frequent referrals might be used to incentivize advocates.
• With their dashboard, you can track and assess your referral programme.
• Multiple channels are supported, allowing you to encourage your consumers to make referrals through various means.
• Several sharing options are available, including Facebook Messenger and ESP connections.

Pros 

• Has loyalty programmes that provide you more ways to build consumer relationships.
• Customers are rewarded for 15 different behaviours, such as introducing friends to your store or spending more money with you.

Cons 

• Bad customer support and sales team. 
• Onboarding process is never-ending.

8) Secomapp

Affiliate marketing is another strategy to improve word-of-mouth techniques. Affiliate marketing is a type of marketing in which companies allow customers or other people to target the same audiences as them and receive a reward for recommending their items. It's comparable to a referral programme, but instead of receiving incentives or points, affiliates can earn a commission.

Influencers, ambassadors, current consumers, and other entrepreneurs are examples of affiliates. Affiliates can invite or recruit additional distributors to the network through the app's multi-level marketing model. For each successful referral in their downline, affiliates can earn money.

Key Features 

• It enables you to create multiple commission offers.
• Has an affiliate registration form that is completely configurable.
• You may reach and entice more affiliates by using a marketplace.
• Notifications concerning new referrals and affiliates are sent out via email.
• Allows you to contact with affiliates quickly and easily.

Pros 

• You can keep track of your affiliate's performance.
• Has a variety of payment alternatives, including Paypal, store coupons, and invoices.

Cons 

• The options are extremely perplexing and time-consuming.
• Secomapp fails to capture any orders that are checked out with ShopPay and their customer support confirmed that ShopPay is not supported.

9) Conjured Referrals 

With Conjured Referrals, you can have your customers do the marketing for you. Customers can suggest friends and acquaintances to your Shopify business to earn benefits, similar to how other referral programmes function.

Conjured Recommendations' dashboard allows you to quickly manage your referrals by creating campaigns, reviewing performance, and even checking if referral links are being exploited. 

To make things easier, you can also administer your referral programme from the Shopify dashboard. Furthermore, the software automates rewards, allowing you to deliver promo coupons or presents to customers without having to do it manually.

Key Features 

• Customizable campaigns with no "power by" branding to match your brand's look
• With automated emails, discount vouchers, and gift cards, you can "set it and forget it."
• There are no transaction or commission fees.
• Choose incentives for each campaign with ease.
• Email, SMS, Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp can all be used to send referral links.

Pros 

• Existing clients might be blocked from receiving new referrals.
• Allows you to create either a unique or a static link for each referral or advocate.

Cons 

• Response to emails are very slow. 
• Bad customer support. 

10) Bamboo

Reward customers who suggest their friends to your store to grow your business and strengthen your customer relationships. This converts your customers into brand ambassadors and helps you attract new clients. 

Bamboo, for example, gives you options to encourage your clients to spread the word about your business to their social circles. Create a referral programme using the app to reward consumers as well as the new customer they referred. This can lead to improved client loyalty and more regular purchases.

Bamboo's extensive reports, which include an analysis of your referral program's effectiveness, can help you get results on your referral campaign.

Key Features 

• You can set up your referral programme on a separate referral page.
• Through coupons, points, or free products, it enables you to motivate your customers to do actions that will help you grow your business.
• Emails and referral pages can be tailored to your preferences.

Pros 

• Allows you to compare your performance against industry norms.
• Allows you to keep track of referrals.

Cons 

• Several glitches in the app. 
• Doesn't work properly. 

What variables go into a successful Shopify referral program?

Targeted marketing, good brand advocates, and incentive compensation awards are the three most important components of the best referral programme. These elements, according to the various recommendation systems we've examined, form the foundation of a successful campaign.

However, each company is separate, which implies each company has its own referral service. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution; you must customize a referral package to your target market. Here are some essential details for launching a successful referral programme.

1) Stronger Marketing Campaign 

If you're going to invest in a referral programme, don't mention it on your website or other marketing materials. Create a media campaign to continuously support it. Make use of social media ads, especially by posting about the effort on a daily basis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Customers will be able to instantly share programme information with others, increasing the program's scope.

2) Focused Messaging for Referral 

Customers must be persuaded to invest money while marketing a product or service. In contrast, your referral programme only needs to persuade consumers to share some information in exchange for a reward. As a result, the messaging for the referral programme does not need to be sophisticated. In reality, if it's as simple as feasible, it'll go more smoothly.

3) Attract Consumers with Better Incentives 

People who refer others are rewarded in referral programs. You'll probably get a poor return if the incentive isn't tempting enough. When deciding what you'll give customers in exchange for suggesting your business and how you handle returns, think about what kind of offer would drive the most individuals to utilize your product or service.

Cash is a nice option in some circumstances, but depending on your business, you may also give away gift cards, products, or collector speciality pieces. It is critical to comprehend the consumer and what urges them.

4) Keep Signup Simple

If you have trouble signing up for your referral program, you will miss out on a lot of referrals. Whether you use a dedicated URL or bits of paper to sign people up for your service, you want to minimize the amount of information a client has to give to a bare minimum. When you touch individuals who have been recommended, keep it simple. If you're offering a coupon, make it easy to redeem by providing direct links or straightforward contact information.

5) Tracking and Managing referrals

You don't want to be a member of a referral programme that is incompatible with the current market system and operations. If you have a sales force, for example, you'll want to ensure that the referrals generated by your campaign are ones that your sales team will use. The referrals should be dispersed in a consistent manner so they don't go lost. Because every company is different, you'll want to tailor your campaign to your company's specific goals and activities.

Overall Recommendation 

A solid referral programme will satisfy current customers while also assisting in the acquisition of new leads, resulting in higher sales and revenue. We've covered the greatest Shopify referral applications and apps for building your Shopify store in this article. Choose the best Shopify apps for your needs and prepare for the influx of traffic that is about to arrive.

These Shopify recommendation applications offer powerful capabilities to help you increase interaction and develop your audience, which will benefit your business. Check out these apps to generate new leads while keeping your current clients happy. Find a decent app that works for you and set up a referral programme that rewards your current clients, future consumers, and your company.

FAQs 

1. What are the top Shopify Referral Apps? 

Some of the top Shopify Referral Apps are Smile, Referral Candy, Refersion, Rise, Loyaltylion, Growave, Yotpo, Secomapp, Conjured Referrals, and Bamboo. 

2. What are the variables that go into a successful Shopify referral program? 

The variables that go into a successful Shopify referral program are Unmissable, Obvious, Tempting, Simple and Useful.